Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Combined Behavioral And Engineering Approach To Preventing Highway Fatalities, Benjamin Blandford, Reginald Souleyrette, Caitlin N. Pope, Tony Fields, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traditional, single-discipline highway safety approaches can be augmented through multidisciplinary approaches that consider both engineering and behavioral interventions (e.g., education, enforcement, public outreach campaigns). Leveraging a systems-based conceptual framework of roadway safety, multiple forms of statistical and geospatial analysis, and SPF modeling and network screening, this report proposes and demonstrates methods for unpacking the influence of behavioral-related factors on crash occurrences and outcomes. The primary focus is on behaviors targeted in the Strategic Highway Safety Plan — aggressive driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and driving without proper restraint (i.e., seatbelts). Based on application of these methods, the report highlights ...

Optimizing Transportation Systems With Information Provision, Personalized Incentives And Driver Cooperation, Sayeeda Ayaz

Doctoral Dissertations

Poor performance of the transportation systems has many detrimental effects such as higher travel times, increased travel costs, higher energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, etc. This thesis optimizes the transportation systems by addressing the traffic congestion problem and climate change impact resulting from the inefficient operation of these systems.

I first focus on the key player of the transportation systems e.g., human being/traveler, and model travelers' route choice behavior with real-time information. In this study, I define looking-ahead behavior in route choice as a traveler's taking into account future diversion possibilities enabled by real-time information in ...

Large Eddy Simulations Of Wind Shear From Passing Vehicles Under A Freeway Overpass, Hamid Rahai, Assma Begum

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

California is moving toward a 100% clean energy future, and expanded wind energy will be a major component of the state’s future energy portfolio. Innovations in wind energy resources will move California closer to achieving its goal. To gain a better understanding of transient pressure and the wind shear generated at the bridge poles from passing vehicles, this study performed large-eddy simulations of a vehicle (also called an Ahmed body) moving under a freeway overpass at a distance of 0.75 w (width) from the bridge poles. Results include transient contours of mean velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, vorticity, and ...

Understanding The Safety And Usability Of Personal Vehicles For Non-Driving Individuals With Disabilities And Their Families/Care Providers, Anil R. Kumar, Hannah Bowman

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

The connections between shared personal vehicles of individuals with disabilities (IWDs) and their household family members play an important role in the mobility, overall health, and well-being of all involved actors, yet this topic remains mostly overlooked within publicly available research. Families that include a non-driving IWD are more likely to be low-income, and often struggle with the costs of operating a family car but, due to insufficient public transportation options, they own vehicles despite their prohibitive cost. This exploratory study utilized the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) model, a framework focused on assessing the interplaying sociotechnical factors ...

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2017-2021, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopehr Van Dyke, Michael Fields, Riana Tanzen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes Analysis of Traffic Crash Data in Kentucky, a report that reviews state-level crash data from the previous five years. This report summarizes crash data for 2017 through 2021. In addition to presenting a review of crash data, the report also contains safety performance functions (SPFs) for nine roadway types. Because SPFs were derived using 2017-2021 data, the models predict crashes for a five-year period. Users must adjust the model by adding a coefficient of 1/5 to models to avoid overestimating crashes by a factor of five.

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2021 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Michael Fields, Kenneth Agent, Christopher Van Dyke, Ed Harding

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes the Traffic Collision Facts report in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky State Police, and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This is the fiscal year 2022 report, which covers collisions reported during calendar year 2021. For the year, 734 fatal crashes, 20,117 nonfatal crashes, and 88,440 property damage only crashes occurred on the state’s roadways. Overall, 109,291 crashes were reported in calendar year 2021, a 8.4 percent increase over calendar year 2020.

Monocular Camera Viewpoint-Invariant Vehicular Traffic Segmentation And Classification Utilizing Small Datasets, Amr Yousef, Jeff Flora, Khan Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The work presented here develops a computer vision framework that is view angle independent for vehicle segmentation and classification from roadway traffic systems installed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). An automated technique for extracting a region of interest is discussed to speed up the processing. The VDOT traffic videos are analyzed for vehicle segmentation using an improved robust low-rank matrix decomposition technique. It presents a new and effective thresholding method that improves segmentation accuracy and simultaneously speeds up the segmentation processing. Size and shape physical descriptors from morphological properties and textural features from the Histogram of Oriented Gradients ...

Damage Detection And Damage Localization In Bridges With Low-Density Instrumentations Using The Wave-Method: Application To A Shake-Table Tested Bridge, Mehran Rahmani, Xintong Ji, Sovann Reach Kiet

Mineta Transportation Institute Publications

This study presents a major development to the wave method, a methodology used for structural identification and monitoring. The research team tested the method for use in structural damage detection and damage localization in bridges, the latter being a challenging task. The main goal was to assess capability of the improved method by applying it to a shake-table-tested prototype bridge with sparse instrumentation. The bridge was a 4-span reinforced concrete structure comprising two columns at each bent (6 columns total) and a flat slab. It was tested to failure using seven biaxial excitations at its base. Availability of a robust ...

2022 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek S. Young, Eric Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year Kentucky Transportation Center researchers conduct a safety belt usage survey to estimate Kentucky’s statewide safety belt usage rate. In 2022, the safety belt usage rate in Kentucky was 86.72 percent, which represents a 3.06 decline over 2021. Safety belt usage peaked in 2018 at 89.99 percent. Declines in safety belt usage rate over the past couple years may be attributable in part to changes in driver behaviors and traffic dynamics following the COVID-19 pandemic. If Kentucky wants to increase safety belt usage rates, the state may need ramp up enforcement of safety belt laws ...

Generalizing The Negative Binomial-Lindley Model For Accounting Subpopulation Heterogeneity In Crash Data Analysis, A S M Mohaiminul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crash data are often highly dispersed; it may also include a large amount of zero observations or have a long tail. The traditional Negative Binomial (NB) model cannot model these data properly. To overcome this issue, the Negative Binomial-Lindley (NB-L) model has been proposed as an alternative to the NB to analyze data with these characteristics. Research studies have shown that the NB-L model provides a superior performance compared to the NB when data include numerous zero observations or have a long tail. In addition, crash data are often collected from sites with different spatial or temporal characteristics. Therefore, it ...

Master Plan Of Water Distribution System For Srinagar And Hanumanth Nagar Wards - Using Epanet, Sneha G, Nikhil B, K Galajalaxmi Prof., Syed Abdulla Furkhan, Narasimhamurthy H, Jagadish Babu Mr.

Undergraduate Academic Research Journal

Every metropolitan city requires a master plan which provides a conceptual layout to guide future growth and development of the city. One of the reasons for water crisis in developing countries is due to inefficient and wasteful water management systems. In this research paper EPANET is used to build the water network model, optimize it, compute head-loss, velocity of flow in each node and flow in each pipe in the water distribution. It can be used to consider and understand the growth of the demand of city with the design period of 30 years. The above knowledge is used to ...

Simulating The Impact Of Urban Sprawl In Spatiotemporal Variation Of Air Pollution In Bangalore Region Using Ml And Gis., Gagan Vernekar, Dhanush B. Naidu, K Galajalaxmi Prof., Kiran K, Manjunatha Havinal

Undergraduate Academic Research Journal

The rapid expansion of urban areas due to rise in population and economic growth is increasing the additional demand on natural resources thereby causing land-use changes especially in megacities. Bengaluru, being a city of India’s high-tech industry has been facing deteriorating environmental conditions. This paper deals with studying the problems by designing the Machine Learning (ML) model which helps in detecting the Green Cover Change, Urban sprawl, Air Quality Parameters concentration in Bangalore region for the future and analyse them with Geographic Information System (GIS) data’s using Remote Sensing (RS) satellite images of various years of Bangalore city ...

Time Motion Study On Soil Protection Works, Santosh Tekkannavar

Undergraduate Academic Research Journal

Soil protection works have become popular due to their immense contribution to protecting the building from land sliding. A building structure requires a stable foundation to ensure best construction and durability. There are various engineering techniques in soil protection works, this paper consists of the Soil nailing procedure adopted in the Northwest Commercial multi-use (NWCM) Project of Karle Infra Pvt. Ltd Company, currently executed by the vendor Geoengineering Pvt. Ltd. Soil nailing technique is used to stabilize the existing slope and construct retaining walls from top down. Steel nails are used as a reinforcement of soil which are drilled and ...

Star Rating For Bh Road, Shivamogga City Using Irap Assessment, Sricharan R Mr., Syed Yaseen Afshad Mr., Anirudh N Mr.

Undergraduate Academic Research Journal

Road traffic crashes kill over millions of children and young people each year. Understanding the emergency of the situation and the need to act, governments from all over the world unanimously reducing road deaths and injuries by using this software. The major goal of this study is to conduct a road safety evaluation utilising the iRAP visualizer in Shivamogga,

India. For this length of road, a traffic video graphics study was conducted. The iRAP's road attributes are then coded. Star Rating demonstrator to obtain the Star Rating for each road users.

Spatio Temproral Landuse And Landcover Analysis Using Remote Sensing: A Case Study On Shivamogga City, Sushma L Mrs., Anirudh N Mr., Sricharan R Mr.

Undergraduate Academic Research Journal

Shivamogga's population has grown significantly in recent years. The city's size has grown in lockstep with its population. The rapid increase in urban population is primarily due to people migrating from rural areas, villages, and other cities to larger cities in quest of better job opportunities and a greater quality of life. As a result of this pressure, cities have grown out of control to accommodate these people, resulting in sprawl, which is a severe problem that must be addressed. The main purpose of this research is to better understand Shivamogga's landuse and landcover, as well as ...

Influence Of Specimen Geometry And Anisotropy On Dynamic Modulus Of Asphalt Mixes In South Carolina, Srinivasan Nagarajan

All Dissertations

The objective of this study was to characterize the variability of dynamic modulus of asphalt mixes in South Carolina on the basis of geometry and anisotropy. High priority mixes Surface Type B, and C; Intermediate Type B and C and Base Type A from three different days of production were collected from seven different contractors each having a different aggregate source and the dynamic modulus was measured using the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT) at temperatures of 40, 70, 100 and 130℉ (4.4, 21.1, 37.8, and 54.4℃) and at frequencies of 25, 10, 5, 1, 0 ...

Crack Control And Bond Performance Of Alternative Coated Reinforcements In Concrete, Sachin Sreedhara

All Dissertations

Concrete cracking in structures is a ubiquitous problem which can lead to the deterioration of the structure. Other than affecting the strength aspect of a structure, cracking impacts the serviceability criteria as well. Although cracking phenomenon in any structure is highly inevitable, it has to be minimized in order to maintain a structure’s life effectively. Cracking in reinforced concrete structures is related to the bond strength developed between the bar and the concrete. It also depends on an ability of the bar to resist the stresses due to shrinkage to minimize the crack. Another important aspect is the resistance ...

Krs And Kar Review Of Models As A Legal Contract Document, Bryan Gibson, Pam Clay-Young, Rachel Catchings, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are expanding the use of electronic engineering data (EED) throughout highway projects — from design and construction through asset management. Included under the umbrella of EED are technologies such as building information modelling (BIM), digital terrain models (DTMs), and 3D models and plan sets. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Digital Project Delivery (DPD) Initiative is spearheading the transition to EED in the state. While digital delivery promises to streamline project development and management it does not come without hurdles. This report discusses methods for agency wide implementation of EED and highlights best practices for managing ...

Effect Of Varying Amounts Of Sandstone On The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures In Arkansas, David Murphy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are many different species and subspecies of aggregate used across the state of Arkansas, and the rest the country. However, it cannot be presumed that the amount and type of these aggregates will be compatible with the commonly used asphalt binder of an area; this can lead to performance issues and premature pavement damage. It has been suspected in Arkansas that an excessive amount of sandstone in asphalt mixtures may be a culprit of some of these premature pavement damage issues, especially regarding the moisture susceptibility of a pavement. This study aimed to analyze the performance effects of using ...

Autonomous Vehicles On The Smart Roads: Challenges And Potentials, Laura Cristancho, Baleki Campbell, Mahyar Amirgholy

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Self-driving vehicles and smart roads are not new concepts. These ideas have been discussed for many years but for much of this time, the required technology was not available to make them a reality. Just recently has our technology caught up to our ideas and we are beginning to see progress towards the realization of the automated highway system. As the transition to a complete automated system is still in progress, this leaves many questions that still need to be answered as well as allowing for novel solutions to be presented. Using modern research papers to formulate a sound basis ...